Corn-cracking machine



July 27, 1926.

F. R. KILLICK CORN GRACKING MACHINE Original Filed April 18. 1924 m 7l/fl? all? l inventor lztorne s Patented July 27, 1926.

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FRANK R. Krnmcx, or ivrUNcY, rNNNsYLvANrA, AssIGNoR ro srnour, wALnaoN a co., or MUNcY, PENNSYLVANIA, A coRroNArroN or'rENNsYLVANIA.

CORN-CRACKING MACHINE.

Application led April 18, 1924, Serial No. 707,486. Renewed December. 7, 1925.

This invention relates to machines for re.` ducing grain, and more particularly to a corn cracking machine.

The objects of the invention are to provide a simple and efficient machine for cracking or reducing grains of corn to a comparatively coarse condition with a minimum percentage of line material and to adapt the corn cracking devices to be adjusted so as to reduce the grain to a greater or less degree of finene'ss, as desired.

The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are to abe taken as a part of this specification, and then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In said drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a corn-cracking machine embodying my 1nfvention, the end portions of the driving shaft and associated parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the interiorly toothed casing member of the corn-cracking devices in the form of the frustum of a 2 hollow cone, viewedfrom the larger end thereof; I

. Fig.'3is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of' an inner side portion of said toothed casingmember illustrating the construction and arrangement of the teeth thereon; and

Fig. t is an end view of a conical, periphorally-toothed device of the form preferably used as the rotary member of the cracking devices.

Referring to said drawings7 in which the same refe'rencecharacters are used to denote corresponding parts in different views; the letter A denotes a driving shaft journalled in suitable bearings provided therefor on the machine frame or casing, and to which rotary motion may be imparted by connection with a prime mover by means of a belt or any suitable gear connection. he man chine frame may be of any suitable construction, but it is preferably of the form shown, in which there aretwo casing members C and C1, the member C having secured thereto or formed integrally therewith a hopper 0, and the member C1 having secured thereto or integral therewith at its lower end a discharge'spout c1. These two parts may be attached to the floor of a building, in spaced relation, by means of apertured lugs or flanges on their lower ends, adapted to receive fastening bolts, so as to adapt said parts to support between them a toothed casing member or shell D. To this end, said members C and C1 are suitably recessed in their confronting sides or faces to receive annular flanges ci and d1, at opposite ends of the toothed casing member; said flanges d and all being preferably of circular form to adapt them to iitcorrespondingly shaped recesses in the sides of the casing members C and C1. The flanges d and Z1 are formed or provided with open-ended slots d2 to receive fastening bolts for detachably securing the toothed casing member to the machine frame or casing, so that it can be easily removed and replaced when the toothed surface thereof becomes worn or broken. Said casing member D, as shown, is in the form of the frustum of a hollow cone and is formed or provided on its inner side or inner periphery with teeth or ribs designed to co-operate with a peripherally toothed or rotary member E adjustably secured on the driving shaft, to adapt the machine to crack the grains of corn more or less finely, by adjusting and securing the toothed surfaces of the rotary and stationary members at a Vgreat-er or less distance apart, as desired. The frame or casing member C has a substantially concave central portion c2 to provide sufficient space around the driving shaft to facilitate the entrance of grain between the toothed surfaces of the rotary and stationary grain-reducing or cracking devices.

The casing member D is formed or provided on its interior peripheral surface with teeth of oblong form substantially triangular in cross-section and gradually decreasing in size in opposite directions from an intermediate point toward both ends, the teeth being of different lengths and sizes and arranged in staggered relation, there being rows of teeth at intervals, which extend substantially at rightangles to theaXis of the cone, or inthe direction of vtravel of the grain around the peripherally toothed conical member arranged within the toothed casing member, the edges of the teeth or apices of the triangles being arched or arcuate in form. Opposite tapering end portions of the teeth project into the spaces between and overlap adjacent pairs of teeth. The teeth at' the entrance or feed end of the cone along the similar end of the casing member are preferably shorter and smaller in size than the teeth next thereto, and there are clusters offteeth irregularly arranged between adjacent rows to provide an irregular, toothed surface specially designed and adapted to effect the desired reduction of grains of corn without producing an excess of line corn mea-l.

In operation the stock passes through the machine by entering the space between the rotary conemember and the toothed casing member' at the small end of the cone, at which `end there is preferably somewhat more space between the cutting edges of the teeth on the casing member and the-teeth on f the cone than `at thelarger end of the cone.

By adjust1nent,these edges at the large end ofthe cone can be brought very close together so thatv alrernel will be cut while passing between them. This larger Opeliinga-t'the head end assists the stock in entering between closerl ribs near the ktail end and permits some ofthe larger kernels to be reduced near the'head end. Now, suppose thata kernel ofI corn has passed through the machine as far as possible without beingcraclred and that it lodges temporarily in one of the pockets formed between endsof two adjacent teeth in the same course on the inside surface of the case. If it be a pocket near the bottom of the case,it is forced out by other stock crowding against it, and if it be a pocket near the sides or top of the case, it falls out by its own weight. In either instance,`itis carried by a rib onthe revolving conev against one of the sharp cutting edges on the inside of the casing member and cut in two, a part passing` each sideA of the rib on the casing member. 'Y If alzernel should lbe cut Vlengthwise at iirst,` it is probablethat this long piece, while being carried by a rib on the cone, will rest against thisrib and` will extend in the same general direction. In this position7 then, the long piece of corn will' be cut in a direction at right-angles to its length. Therefore, it is evident that there is a tend- Y ency to reduce the' stock to shapes somewhat cubicalI rather than the long, thin pieces which are undesirable in the finished prod- It is also obvious that when the stock has been reduced toa certain kdegree of tineness. it can be easily carried out between the teeth of thecasing member and escape furtherre'duction. The result is a product of practical uniformity, free from'lan excess of meal.

ribbed revoluble lmember arranged within an v interiorly toothed?` and stationary casing Vmember, theflatterhaving-substantially the forni of the frustum of a hollow cone, as I am aware of the fact that a wheat cracking machine of the character referred to was made prior to my invention, which resides in a corn cracking machine of ther same general character as the aforesaid wheat cracking 'machina but in which the interiorly toothed casing` member is formed or provided with annular series of teeth of peculiar construction and arrangement especially designed and adapted for use in (zo-operation with a conical exteriorly peripherally toothed member for cracking corn; vthe latter member being preferably ofthe type used in the aforesaidv wheat craclingmachine, though other forms may be used, vand I desire it to be understood that'my'i'nvention is not limitedto an exteriorlytoothed revoluble member of lthe specific formfembodied in the aforesaid wheat cracking ma-A chine. It will also be understood that the word toothed as used in the appended claims may include teeth or ribs of the form shown or other forms.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States,"is:-

l. A corn cracking machine comprising a casing, a driving shaft journaled in said casing, a substantially conical, peripherallytoothed member secured on said shaftya casmember or shell'surrounding said conical member,said casing member having substantially the form of the frustum of a hollow cone and having on the inner side there# of annular series of teeth of substantially triangular from in cross-section extending crosswise of the teeth of said conical y-member, each succeeding series of teeth from the smaller toward the larger end of the cone being of less size than the preceding series.

2. A corn cracking machine comprising a casing having a feed hopper, a driving shaft journaledvin said casing, a conical, periph! erally toothed member adjustably secured on said shaft, a casing member or shell surrounding said conical member and having substantially the form of the frustum of a hollow cone, said casing member also having on the inner side thereof multiple annular series of teeth of substantially triangular form in cross-section, the teeth of the several series diminishing gradually in size from the smaller end to the largerend of the cone and extending at an angle to the teeth on said conical member.

3. A corn cracking device comprising a revoluble, peripherally -toothed, conical member, and a stationary toothed member surrounding said conical member and having substantially the form of the frustum of a hollow cone; the teeth of said conical vmember extending along its inclined peripheral surface in the direction of but at an angle to its axis and the teeth of said stationary member being substantially of triangular form in cross-section with arcuate cutting edges and extending in annular series transversely of the aXis of said members.

4. A corn cracking device comprising a revoluble peripherally-toothed, conical member, and a stationary toothed member surrounding said conical member and having substantially the form of the frustum of a hollow cone; the teeth of said stationary member being substantially of triangu- `lar form in cross-section with arcuate cutting edges and extending in annular series transversely of the axis of said members, the teeth of each series overlapping the teeth of adjoining series.

5. In combination, a casing member having a feed-hopper, a driving shaft journaled in said casing, and corn-cracking devices comprising a periplierally toothed conical member adjustably secured on said shaft .and a casing member or shell surrounding said conical member and having substantially the form of a frustum of a hollow cone With teeth on the inner side thereof of substantially triangular form in cross-section, said teeth being arranged in staggered lrelation and diminishing in sze from the smaller end to the larger end of the cone, the teeth on said casing member extending at an angle to the peripheral teeth on said conical member.

6. In combination, ay machine frame or casing comprising a stationary member supporting a hopper and having on the inner side thereof a substantially concave centrally disposed portion, a casing member having a discharge spout and movably supported in spaced relation to said hopper-supporting member, a casing member substantially in the form of the frustum of a hollow cone supported between said first-mentioned members and having annular series of teeth on the inner side thereof extending substantially in the direction of travel of the grain, and a shaft journaled in bearings supported on said casing members and carrying a substantially conical peripherally-toothed member, the teeth of which extend substantially at right-angles to the teeth of said toothed casing member.

7. A corn cracking device comprising a revoluble, peripherally-toothed, conical member, and a stationary toothed member surrounding said conical member and having substantially the form of the frust-um of a hollow cone; the teeth of said conical inember extending along the inclined surface thereof in the direction of but at an angle to its axis, and the teeth of said stationary casing member being of oblong form and substantially triangular in cross-section with arcuate cutting edges and extending in annular series transversely of the teeth of said conical member.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

FRANK R. KILLICK. 

